Fighting Extinction Due to the Endangerment of Species

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“The International Union for the Conservation of Nature predicts that 99.9% of critically endangered species and 67% of endangered species will be lost within the next 100 years. It is estimated that over 99.9% of all species that ever lived are extinct. The average lifespan of a species is 1–10 million years, although this varies widely between taxa.”(Extinction). Humans have been on Earth for 200,000 years, If we follow this information of a species usually last 1-10 million years, we have about 800,000 - 9 million and 800,000 years left. Taking into consideration that the Earth is being poisoned, by us, species are going extinct far faster than evolution intended. Evolution can’t keep up to the drastic changes happening, we are slowly killing everything around us.

Species endangerment is an animal or plant that's considered at risk of extinction. There are different levels of endangerment which include least concern, near threatened, vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild, and extinct. A species can be of least concern in one region and be endangered in another. A National Geographic website stated that, “The gray whale, for instance, has a healthy population in the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of North and South America. The population in the western Pacific, however, is critically endangered.” ( Endangered Species...). Species can be listed as different levels of endangerment for different regions.

A species that is least concern is the Raccoon, which is very abundant in the wild. Raccoons usually have one litter per year consisting of 3 - 6 babies. A species that is near threatened is the White Rhino, which has a wild population of between 17,212 and 18,915. Which recovered from near extinction with numbers as low as 50 - 100. White Rhinos have only one calf at a time, with usually 2 - 3 years in between calves. A species that is vulnerable is the Snow Leopard, which has 3,920 - 6,390 left in the wild. They have a litter of about 2 - 3 cubs, and bear new cubs every year. The Snow Leopard is struggling with illegal poaching for their fur and climate change. Poaching, over hunting, climate change are some of the many reasons for the endangerment of species. A species that is endangered is the Tiger, which has a population of 3,890 left in the wild. Tigers usually have a litter of about 3 - 4 cubs, the tigress usually waits 1 ½ to 2 years to mate again. These cats are struggling with habitat loss and poaching. Habitat loss is another major reason for species endangerment. A species that is critically endangered is the Saola, which is estimated to have less than 750 individuals left in the wild. They have only one offspring per year. Saola’s are being hunted for their horns, which are considered a “Trophy”. A species that is extinct in the wild is the Micronesian Kingfisher, which has a population of about 140 individuals that live in captivity. Females lay only two eggs per mating season, but are incapable of raising young in captivity. These birds went extinct in the wild due to the introduction of the Brown Tree Snake. Invasive species are another reason that species are becoming endangered. Lastly, a species that is extinct and gone forever, is the Saber tooth tiger. It is believed that females would produce 3 - 5 cubs, not much is known about their mating habits. The only individuals left are that of fossils. These big cats went extinct due to climate change.

Species go extinct for a multitude of reasons like overhunting, climate change, invasive species, and habitat loss. Over hunting can be simply for food, or for sport. People are constantly afraid of running out of food, because of our overpopulation problem. Overpopulation can be caused by low death rate, we’re overcoming poverty, and fertility treatment, but these are only a few. Low death rates sound great but if there isn’t a balance of death and birth then over/under population can occur. If the death rates are higher than the birth rates, then our population declines. If the birth rates are higher than the death rates, like today, then our population increases. Overcoming poverty also sounds like a good thing, but that means less people are dying. Yes, that does sound morbid, but if less people die, then the population increases. A long time ago, not many people had enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle, so they lived in poverty. These people would have a large family to compensate for the high infant mortality rate. Lastly, people have turned to fertility treatments, meaning people who couldn’t have their own children now can. Before this technological advancement, people who couldn’t have children of their own would adopt, but now people can have fertility treatment. Fertility treatment has increased birth rates also, leading to overpopulation.

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Climate change is another reason for species endangerment. The Earth was about 12 degrees colder during the ice age than it is today. 12 degrees doesn’t seem like much but it has drastically changed our planet. Animals that were adapted to live in colder environments, like the Saber Tooth Tiger, have long since perished. Saber Tooth Tigers were carnivorous, meaning they ate only meat. Their prey consisted of herbivores, or plant eaters. When the climate began to warm up, those ice adapted plants began to die out, as did the herbivores, leaving the Saber Tooth with nothing to eat. These cats went extinct due to lack of food caused by climate change. Other species that are endangered due to climate change include but are not limited to the Adélie Penguin, the Leatherback Turtle, the Koala, and the Polar Bear.

Invasive species are another cause of species endangerment. They can come in many shapes and forms like insects, plants, animals, fungi, and even bacteria. An invasive species is any organism that doesn’t naturally belong in that habitat. An example of an invasive species is the Emerald ash borer, a rather small bright metallic green insect. It feeds on the Ash tree, causing it to slowly die. This particular incursive species came from Asia. Another invasive species is the brown marmorated stink bug, or more commonly known as the stink bug. It also happens to come from Asia. These insects are a dark brown to light brown color and are about 17mm, they have wings and a scent gland on their backs. If you were to accidentally crush these bugs the smell is quite powerful, giving them their name. The last example of an invasive species is the feral hog. These hogs are not native to the Americas, they were brought over by spanish explorers. Feral hogs look very similar to domestic pigs but they are much more destructive, they also can transmit diseases to both people and livestock.

Another reason that species become endangered is habitat loss. There are three types of habitat loss, Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and degradation. There are five main reasons for habitat loss but here are three, climate change, pollution, and agricultural development. Habitat destruction can be deforestation, dredging rivers, or filling in wetlands. Habitat fragmentation can be building roads or dams which separate species and make it harder to find food or mates. Lastly, Habitat degradation can be pollution, invasive species, and any disruption of the ecosystem.

Pollution affects many species and comes in many forms like air, light, noise, water, and soil. Air pollution is the contamination of the air by exhaust from cars and factories, mining operations, and burning fossil fuels. Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky by artificial light. Examples of this include glare and skyglow. Noise pollution is harmful and annoying levels of noise. Examples of this include cars, airplanes, and construction. Water pollution is contamination of water. Examples of water pollution are chemicals/oil and plastic being dumped in the ocean. Lastly, soil pollution is the contamination of soil. Some examples of soil pollution is chemical spills and improper waste disposal. An example of one of the species affected by pollution is the Sea Otter, which is listed as threatened on the Endangered Species List due to oil spills.

The government has been looking for a way to help solve this problem. In 1966, the government passed an act to make a list of all endangered species, which was called the Endangered Species Preservation Act. In 1973, this act was revised into the Endangered Species Act. It stated that if a species is listed on this list, it is protected, therefore you cannot kill, trap, or wound any animals on that list. Basically you cannot cause harm in any way to any protected animal species. There is much controversy on whether the act has been a success or a failure. A survey was conducted to solve the conflicting viewpoints on the internet. 37% out of the 27 that were surveyed said they did not know what the Endangered Species Act was. It was expected that not everyone would know what this was but this is less than what was predicted. About 70% out of 27 said that they haven’t seen any propaganda about the act. Think about it, there have been very few tv commercials about the Endangered Species Act. No radio advertisements or billboards. Lastly, about 85% said they did not think that we as a society were well informed that one, this act existed and two, what it actually does.
Surprisingly, the Endangered Species Act has been a success. “The agency estimated in July 2013 that 98 percent of all listed species survive and that this statistic indicates that the ESA is effective at achieving its goal.” ( Success rate..) According to this article the ESA has been a success, “delisting” 63 species as of july 2016.
A question frequently asked on this topic is very controversial to the article that stated that the ESA was a success. Is the Endangered Specie Act causing harm to endangered species rather than helping them? Well, for example, the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker lives in the southern US pine forests, some landowners who live in the southern part of the US have stated they want to avoid the malevolent land restrictions put in play by the Endangered Species Act. The land owners prematurally cut down pine trees, which obviously would never mature seeing as they’ve been cut down. The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker prefers to nest in mature pines, now if these landowners continue to cut down immature pines, the woodpecker cannot nest.

Scientists are working on a new technology to “bring back” species from extinction, it’s called de-extinction or resurrection biology. Scientists have already tried to bring back the Pyrenean Ibex, by producing a clone from preserved tissue, but the clone died from a severe lung defect. Animals that are “resurrected” will never have the exact same DNA as their ancestors. If we “resurrected” the Wooly Mammoth the offspring would result in an elephant with a little thicker hair. Since it has been extinct for 4,000 years, the DNA could never be whole again. Though de-extinction isn’t possible yet, scientists are working dilegently to make this possible. An animal with some “extinct” genes is better than it being gone forever.

In conclusion, species endangerment is a growing issue that we are beginning to “solve”. It isn’t completely solved because there is still pollution, overhunting, and climate change is never going away. Some species are more threatened than others, more desireable if you will, animals with horns, tusks, pretty hides, or a large animal are more desireable to a hunter for a “trophy”. The Endangered Species Act is a contaversal topic, some believe it is a big success, others believe it is a failure. Resurrection biology is a growing field of science, still in its infancy. If scientists can birth this field, then it will rescue some of the species with viable DNA still left. Will the world be able to solve species endangerement indefintely, or not?

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